PERSONS seeking to acquire security cameras are being encouraged to contact JamaicaEye personnel for advice on the equipment.

Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang said cameras are now part of the security mechanism for the gathering of evidence and coverage of what is happening in spaces targeted by persons with criminal intent, and it is crucial to have quality recordings.

“If you are installing cameras, talk to our people about specifications. You are getting a camera, buy one that can be used in evidence [as] not all cameras have the specs for good pictures,” the minister said while speaking with business persons in Bog Walk, St Catherine, on June 22.

To improve the safety and security of Jamaican citizens, in March 2018 the Ministry of National Security implemented JamaicaEye. It is the national closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system that allows registered private citizens to share footage from their cameras with local authorities, free of cost. JamaicaEye can be reached at 876-906-4908-10.

Dr Chang said the technological capacity of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is in expansion mode and that through “high-quality police work” several gang leaders and members of criminal networks are off the streets of St Catherine. He saidthe police are closely monitoring key criminal suspects in the parish.

“A lot of work is being done to disrupt the main gangs, and there are officers who put their lives at great risk to get information. There are officers who dedicate their lives to find them and get them off the streets,” he emphasised.

The minister implored the businesspeople to work with the police in nabbing persons who seek to extort them.

The minister reported that the area now has new and additional officers, and with citizens’ cooperation, crime and disorderly conduct in public spaces will be reduced and more wrongdoers will be placed behind bars.